Pelican International, leader in boating innovation and owner of the Pelican, Elie and Lavika brands, is pleased to announce the nomination of four new key members to its Operations, Information Technology and Sales teams and its partnership with two new sales agencies.

Tony Jorge – Director of Operations

A graduate of Concordia University in Montreal, Tony Jorge joins Pelican International with over 20 years of management and consulting experience in the manufacturing sector.  As the newly appointed Director of Operations for Pelican International, Tony will report to the Vice President of Operations, Marie-Christine Piedboeuf, and oversee Procurement, Planning, Customer Service, Logistics and Shipping.

Tony has an impressive background in Plant and Operations Management and his main objective will be to implement, support and drive the company’s business strategies while improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of Pelican’s support services.  He will play a major role in long-term planning, with a clear focus on operational excellence.

Claude-Simon Dansereau – Manager, Strategic Sourcing

Claude, a Pelican employee for over 6 years, brings over 20 years of experience in international purchasing to his new role. His expertise in ERP systems coupled with his experience in negotiating with Asian suppliers makes him the ideal candidate for this position.  In his new role, Claude will be responsible for supporting Pelican’s growth by developing sourcing strategies in both Asia and North America. He will also negotiate major contracts with suppliers and subcontractors. Claude will report to the Director of Operations, Tony Jorge.

Jean-Philippe Bertrand – Director of Information Technology

Jean-Philippe has 12 years of managerial experience in several areas, including Information Technology, Logistics and Quality Control.  His understanding of the various roles in an organization will be a tremendous asset to Pelican as he supports the company’s existing projects and undertakes new ones, such as the implementation of a Business Intelligence system.

Christine Desautels, International Sales Representative

Christine is the newest addition to Pelican International’s Sales Team.  As the new International Sales Representative, she will report to the Executive Director of Sales, Noel Basque, and will be responsible for all sales outside of North America. Based at Pelican International’s head office in Laval, Quebec, Canada, Christine will work closely with all of Pelican’s Distributors to continue to grow the company’s international markets.

Christine has been with Pelican for five years and has held customer service positions elsewhere.  Her work ethic and “can-do” attitude will ensure that Pelican’s distributors are well serviced as the company continues to supply retailers worldwide with all of its brands, including Pelican, Elie and Lavika.

“In order to sustain Pelican’s continued growth, we are investing in key talent to grow our business in the U.S., as well as overseas”, said Antoine Elie, C.E.O of Pelican International. “We are also strengthening our technology infrastructure and our operations team in order to optimize our supply chain and ensure the best possible product quality. I am pleased to welcome these new players to the Pelican team and I am confident that their depth of experience will be of great benefit to Pelican and its retail partners.”

Pelican International has also signed on with two new Sales Agencies, Remsing Associates Inc. of Vermont and Alabama-based Where the Wild Things Are.

Remsing Associates – Northeast and Mid Atlantic (Maine to Virginia)

Tom Remsing of Remsing Associates Inc. has over 25 years of experience in the paddle sports business as a retailer, outfitter and manufacturer’s representative. Warren, Vermont-based Remsing Associates has been in business for 15 years and covers New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.  Remsing was among the first in the country to sell thermoformed ABS kayaks and they have a keen understanding of the advantages of the manufacturing process.

“I’m thrilled to have partnered with Pelican International in the Northeast Market and the timing couldn’t be better, given the rapidly changing dynamics we are now experiencing in the industry,” said Remsing.  “I’ve always been fascinated with technological advances in paddle sports, as I feel it gives my firm a competitive edge in the marketplace.  In my opinion, Pelican’s innovative Twin-Sheet Thermoforming process is a game changer.  Let’s see… lighter, stiffer, stronger and less expensive – what’s not to like?  The rapid growth we’ve seen in market share for both Pelican and Elie Kayaks is a testament to that fact.”

Where The Wild Things Are – Southeast (North Carolina to Florida)

Cliff Earle and Tom Foote of Where the Wild Things Are bring 34 and 14 years respectively of paddle sports experience to their seven year old partnership. Both are avid canoeists with a passion for paddling and the outdoors and bring a straight-forward, hands-on approach to their business. They leverage their extensive paddlesports experience to bring a high degree of technical understanding to retailers. Their strong customer relationships in the South Eastern United States will be of great benefit to Pelican International.